Introduction to Computer

Networks

A computer network is a
collection of interconnected
computers and other
devices which are able to
communicate with each other and
share hardware
and software resources.
Are there any advantages of
networked computers over stand
alone computers? Yes, there are
many. A few of these advantages
are:

Resource Sharing
Cost saving
Collaborative user interaction
Time saving
Increased storage
Types of Networks
••••
A computer network may span any
amount of geographical area. It can
be on a table, in a room, in a
building, in a city, in a country,
across continents or around the
world. On the basis of area covered
computer networks are classified as:
PAN - Personal Area Network
LAN - Local Area Network
MAN - Metropolitan Area Network
PAN:-A PAN is a network of
Communicating devices
(Computer,Phone, MP3/MP4 Player,
Camera etc.) in the proximity of an
individual. It can cover an area of a
few meters radius.
When you have to transfer songs
from one cell phone to another, you
set up a PAN of two phones. When
files are transferred from a PC to an
MP3 player, a PAN is set up between
the two. There can also be multiple
AN

LAN is a network of computing/Communicatin

evices in a room, building, or campus.
can cover an area of a few meters to a few
ometers radius. A networked office building,
chool, or home usually contains a single LAN,
span a group of nearby buildings.

ough sometimes one building can contain a fe

mall LANs (Like some schools have independen
ANs in each computer lab.). Occasionally a LA
n span a group of nearby buildin
MAN:-
A MAN is a network of
computing/communicating
devices within a city. It can cover
an area of a few kilometers to a
few hundred kilometers radius. A
network of schools, or banks, or
Government offices etc., within a
city, are examples of MANs.
WAN :
A WAN is a network of
computing/communicating devices
crossing the limits of a city,
country, or continent. It can cover
an area of over hundreds of
kilometer radius. A network of
ATMs, BANKs, National
Government Offices, International
Organizations' Offices etc., spread
over a country, continent, or
 Network
Devices
Modem:-A modem (modulator–
demodulator) is a network hardware
device that modulates one or more
carrier wave signals to encode
digital information for transmission
and demodulates signals to decode
the transmitted information.

Hub:-A Hub is an electronic device

that connects several nodes to form
Switch:-A Switch is an intelligent
device that connects several nodes
to form a network
and redirects the received
information only to the intended
node(s)
Repeater:-A Repeater is a device
that is used to regenerate a signal
which is on its way
through a communication channel.
A repeater regenerates the
received signal
and re-transmits it to its
Router:-The main purpose of a router
is to connect multiple networks and
forward packets destined either for its
own networks or other networks. A
router is considered a layer-3 device
because its primary forwarding
decision is based on the information in
the layer-3 IP packet, specifically the
Gateway:- A Gateway
destination IP address. is a device,
which is used to connect different
types of networks and perform the
necessary translation so that the
connected networks can
 Network Topologies:
Physical arrangement of computers
in a network is called network
topology.
Bus Topology:-In bus topology all the
nodes are connected to a main
cable called
backbone. If any node has to send
some information to any other node,
it sends the signal to the backbone.
The signal travels through the entire
length of the backbone and is
Characteristics of Bus topology:
Advantages-
It is easy to install.
It requires less cable length and
hence it is cost effective.
Failure of a node does not affect
the network.
Disadvantages-
In case of cable (backbone) or
terminator fault, the entire network
breaks down.
Fault diagnosis is difficult.
Star Topology:
In star topology each node is
directly connected to a hub/switch.
If any
node has to send some information
to any other node, it sends the
signal to the
hub/switch. This signal is then
broadcast (in case of a hub) to all
the nodes but is
Characteristics of Star topology:
Advantages-
It is more efficient topology as
compared to bus topology.
It is easy to install
It is easy to diagnose the fault in
Star topology.
It is easy to expand depending on the
specifications of central hub/switch
Disadvantages-
Failure of hub/switch leads to failure
Tree Topology:
Tree topology is a combination of
bus and star topologies. It is used
to
combine multiple star topology
networks. All the stars are
connected together like a [Link]
bus-star hybrid of
Characteristics approach supports
Tree topology:
future
It expandability
offers easy way of of the
network
network .
expansion
Even if one network (star) fails, the
other networks remain connected
Mesh Topology:
In mesh topology each device is
connected to every other device on the
network through a dedicated point-to-
point link. When we say dedicated it
means that the link only carries data for
Advantages
the of Meshdevices
two connected topology-
only.
1. No data traffic issues as there is a
dedicated link between two devices which
means the link is only available for those two
devices.
2. Mesh topology is reliable and robust as
failure of one link doesn’t affect other links
and the communication between other
Disadvantages of Mesh topology-
1. Amount of wires required to
connected each system is tedious and
headache.
2. Since each device needs to be
connected with other devices, number
of I/O ports required must be huge.
 Introduction to Internet:-
Internet is a global communication
system that links together
thousands of individual networks. It
allows exchange of information
between two or more computers on
a network. Thus internet helps in
transfer of messages through mail,
chat, video & audio conference, etc.
It has become mandatory for day-
to-day activities: bills payment,
 URL (Uniform Resource Locator)
A URL (Uniform Resource Locator)
is a unique identifier used to locate
a resource on the internet. It is
also referred to as a web address.
URLs consist of multiple parts --
including a protocol and domain
name -- that tell a web browser
how and where to retrieve a
resource. Domain names are used
in URLs to identify particular Web
servers. For example, in the URL
*WWW-World Wide Web .The World Wide
Web (WWW) is a network of online
content that is formatted in HTML and
accessed via HTTP.
*Web- a set of related web pages
located under a single domain name.
*email-messages distributed by
electronic means from one computer
user to one or more recipients via a
network.
* Chat-exchange messages online in real
time with one or more simultaneous
 Website: Related webpages
from a single web domain is
termed as a website. A website has
multiple webpages providing
information
Web page: about a particular
Web page is an
entity.
electronic document designed
using HTML. It displays information
in textual or graphical form. It may
also contain downloadable data files,
audio files or video files. Traversal
from one webpage to another web
page is possible through hyperlinks.
 Dynamic web page: An
Static web page: A
interactive web page is a
web page which
dynamic webpage. A
displays same
dynamic web page uses
kind of information
scripting languages to
whenever a user visits
display changing content
it is known as a static
on the web
web page. A static web
page. Such a page
page
generally has .php, .asp
generally has .htm
or .jsp as
or .html as extension
extension
Web Server: A Web server is a
computer or a group of computers
that stores web pages on the
internet. It works on client/server
model. It delivers the requested web
page to web browser. Web servers
use special programs such as
Apache or IIS to deliver web pages
over the http protocol. Each server
has a unique IP address and domain
name. In order to access a webpage,
the user writes the URL of the site
Web hosting: Web hosting is the
process of uploading/saving the
web content on a web server to
make it available on WWW. In case
an individual or a company wants to
make its website available on the
internet, it should be hosted on a
web server.
Web browser: Web browser is
software program to navigate
the web pages on the internet. A
bowser interprets the coding
language of the web page and
displays it in graphic form. Internet
works on client –server model. A
web browser is a client which
requests the information from the
web server. The web server sends
the information back to the client.
Some of the web browsers are:
What is add ones in browser?
Add-ons are tools which integrate
into your browser. They're similar to
regular apps or programs, but only
run when the browser runs. Add-
ons can allow the viewing of certain
types of Web content, such as
Microsoft's Silver light or Adobe Flash
Player, necessary for Netflix movies
and YouTube videos, respectively.
How do browser plugins work?
A plugin is a piece of software
that acts as an add-on to a web
browser and gives the browser
additional functionality. Plugins
can allow a web browser to
display additional content it was
not originally designed to display.
Cookies: When the user browses a
website, the web server sends a small
text file to the web browser known as a
cookie. Generally a cookie contains the
name of the website from which it has
come from and a unique ID tag. Some
cookies are stored on your hard drive
until you delete them or they reach their
expiry date. These may be used to
remember your preferences when
you use the website. While, some
cookies last only until the browser is
closed are not stored on your hard drive.